Earlier this month, a pipeline owned by Houston-based oil and gas company Amplify Energy Corp. ruptured, spilling up to 144,000 gallons of crude oil into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Huntington Beach, CA.  The spill has infiltrated various wetlands and ecological reserves, threatening the habitat of sea life and sea birds alike. The full extent of the ecological damage won't be known for another couple of weeks. In response, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for Orange County to assist with cleanup efforts. The county’s board of supervisors also declared a local emergency on Tuesday.

In response to the disaster, Stand Together Against Neighborhood Drilling (STAND-L.A.) released the following statement:

“This disaster is yet another example of the dangers of both on-shore and off-shore oil extraction. While we applaud the urgency of the state and county government response to this catastrophe, low-income Black and Brown communities have been made to wait years for action from state and local officials to address the public health emergency of oil drilling in neighborhoods like South LA and Wilmington. This spill puts in relief what was already clear to frontline communities: the end of the fossil fuel era can’t arrive fast enough. We are encouraged by the bold action of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors last month to move to phase out oil drilling in unincorporated areas, and we urge city, state, and federal officials to move as quickly as possible to end oil drilling, full-stop."